Md Hasson
Junior Photographer
'I was once a young kid crying for food, but I am now happy and keen to participate in telling the story of my community. People will know that I am not voiceless.' —explained Md Hasson. He was featured on the cover of the first issue of Rohingyatographer Magazine holding a mobile phone showing a picture of himself crying desperately while climbing on an aid truck. He was only 8 years old when in August 2017, Canadian photographer Kevin Frayer took the photo while covering the massive exodus of the Rohingya fleeing into Bangladesh escaping the genocide perpetrated by the military in Myanmar. The photograph became an iconic representation of the suffering of Rohingya people featured in news articles across the globe. It was shortlisted by Time Magazine as one of the 10 best photographs in 2017, and in 2018 was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in feature photography.
Hasson was born deaf-mute. His mother passed away the day she gave birth, and he was raised by his aunt and uncle. In October 2017, they fled to Bangladesh. Like most boys his age, Hasson spends most of the time in and around learning centres in the camps. He has developed his own remarkable language of gestures to communicate with others. His playful and creative way of expressing himself has made him very popular among his friends. He would benefit from an education program tailored towards children with special needs, however, opportunities for those with different abilities are extremely limited in the refugee camp. 'As a junior member of the Rohingyatographer collective, we provided him with a small camera so he can experiment with the medium of photography and develop his skills and self-expression further. Perhaps one day he might become a famous photographer.'—explained Sahat.
Read his full story on this article: 'Asom’s story: From being seen to being heard representing the Rohingya community', and the UNHCR article: 'Rohingya boy learns language of photography.'